Los Angeles Lakers Rosters, Statistics, Records, News, and More!
Archive for November, 2003
Lakers Dominate in Battle of League’s Best
11.30.03
In a game most figured would be close, the Los Angeles Lakers pounded the Indiana Pacers 99-77 Sunday night at Staples Center, in a battle of two teams with the NBA’s best records.
The win for the Lakers was their 25th straight at home, setting a Los Angeles franchise-record. The previous record of 24 was set 15 years ago.
Shaquille O’Neal scored 18 of his 23 points in the second half, and Karl Malone played another solid game with 11 points and a game-high 15 rebounds.
In a quiet night, Kobe Bryant added 12 points and 7 assists and Gary Payton took just 7 shots, scoring 8 points. But on this night, their offensive output wasn’t needed, as the Lakers got solid efforts from the entire roster.
The Laker defense was smothering, forcing the Pacers into 23 turnovers and shooting just 39.1% from the field.
On the other hand, the Lakers shot 48.0% from the floor and 42.9% from beyond the arc, as they scored 99 points against the league’s best defense. Before the game the Pacers were allowing just 80.4 points per game.
The Lakers led the game 46-37 at the half, with O’Neal plagued with foul trouble. In the second half with him back on the court, the Lakers surged to a 68-51 lead after three quarters, and never looked back. The Lakers have beaten their last six opponents by an average of just under 20 points.
The Pacers were led by Al Harrington, who scored 18 points off the bench. Their leading scorer, Jermaine O’Neal, had foul problems of his own and scored just 14 points.
The Lakers now head to on the road for a “Texas-Two-Step.” They’ll play Wednesday night against in San Antonio against the World Champion Spurs, a team they just beat by 16 two days ago, then Thursday at Dallas, before heading home.
Link: LakerStats.com Box Score
Link: NBA.com Recap
Shaq Sits, Lakers Blow Past Grizzlies 121-89
11.23.03
Even without Shaquille O’Neal, the Lakers put on one of their most impressive displays of the season, routing the Memphis Grizzlies 121-89 on Sunday night at home.
With O’Neal nursing a strained calf, the Lakers never missed a beat. Kobe Bryant helped pick up the slack, leading all players with 28 points. Karl Malone also had a very strong game, tallying 20 points and 10 rebounds in just 26 minutes, and Gary Payton chipped in with 17 points and 10 assists.
The Lakers blew what was a tight game open late in the second quarter, taking a 59-48 lead into the locker room, and leading 90-67 after three quarters.
For the game, the Lakers shot 59% from the field (45-of-76) and 90% (27-of-30), as they scored a season high 121 points. They also held the Grizzlies to 42% from the field, and forced Memphis into a season-high 24 turnovers.
The Lakers bench provided some big contributions. Slava Medvedenko, playing in his first game of the year because of a bruised heel, scored 14 points and grabbed 11 rebounds in 30 minutes. He also made seven of his eight shots from the floor. Bryon Russell had his second straight strong game, scoring 12 points on 5-of-6 from the field.
The Grizzlies were led by Shane Battier, who led the team with 18 points, coming off of the bench.
The Lakers next game is Wednesday at Staples Center against the Washington Wizards. Shaquille O’Neal’s availability will again be a game-time decision.
Link: LakerStats.com Box Score
Link: NBA.com Recap
Lakers Breeze Past Knicks 104-83
11.19.03
The Los Angeles Lakers ended their three-game road losing streak with a decisive victory 104-83 over the New York Knicks at Madison Square Garden on Wednesday.
The Lakers took a two-point halftime lead and ran away from the Knicks in the second half, outscoring them 53-34, to take the easy win. The Knicks were held to only 43% shooting from the floor, which was a vast defensive improvement for the Lakers, who allowed the Detroit Pistons to shoot 57% on Tuesday.
The big stat of the game was free throwing. The Lakers shot 47 free throws, making 37, while the Knicks took only six, making them all. The Knicks had five players with four fouls, and three others with three.
Shaquille O’Neal led the Lakers with 23 points, he also hit 11 of 16 from the foul line. Kobe Bryant scored 21 points, and Karl Malone added 17 points and a team-high 14 rebounds.
Frank Williams led the Knicks with 14 points, and he came off of the bench. Allan Houston, the team’s leading scorer, was held to 10 points on 5-of-14 from the field.
The Lakers return home for a Friday night game against the Chicago Bulls at Staples Center.
Link: LakerStats.com Box Score
Link: NBA.com Recap
Lakers Roll Early, Dominate Heat 99-77
11.16.03
The Los Angeles Lakers got out quickly in the opening moments, and then cruised to their 20th straight home win, beating the Miami Heat 99-77 on Sunday night.
Thanks to a great 1st quarter, led by Gary Payton, who scored 11 of his 13 points in the first, the Lakers jumped out quickly to a 23-9 lead and never looked back. The Heat only as close as nine points once in the 2nd quarter, but trailed by double-figures for all but 2:12 of the game.
Kobe Bryant led all scorers with 27 points, including 15-of-16 from the free throw line. Shaquille O’Neal scored 14 points, despite playing only 23 minutes dude to foul trouble. Karl Malone added 11 points, and grabbed a team-high 10 rebounds.
The Lakers played their third straight solid defensive game, holding the Heat to an awful 36% from the field (29-of-80). Miami also missed all 12 of their shots from beyond the arc. The Lakers shot 45% (33-of-74) from the floor, and made 33 of 46 from the foul line.
The game was plagued by an abundance of foul calls and far too many turnovers, 20 for Miami, and 17 for the Lakers.
Former Clipper Lamar Odom led the visitors with 18 points in his return to Los Angeles, and former Laker Eddie Jones added 12, but missed all five of his 3-point attempts.
The Lakers now head out for a quick two-game road trip. They play Tuesday in Detroit and Wednesday in New York against the Knicks, before returning home for a Friday night game against the Chicago Bulls.
Link: LakerStats.com Box Score
Link: NBA.com Recap
Shaq Leads Lakers to Win Over Pistons 94-89
11.14.03
Behind a dominating second half from Shaquille O’Neal, the Los Angeles won their 19th straight regular season home game, beating the Detroit Pistons 94-89 on Friday night.
The winning streak marks the team’s longest home run since they won 24 straight during the 1987-88 to 1988-89 seasons. The Lakers last loss came to the New York Knicks on February 16, 2003, 117-110. The team did lose twice in the playoffs last season.
The Lakers led the game early by 12, but found themselves in a dogfight by halftime, tied at 45.
O’Neal, who scored just six points in the first half, dominated the second, scoring 15 of his team-high 21 points. He narrowly missed a triple-double, as he also tallied 15 rebounds and eight assists. He also iced the game with two free throws in the final 20 seconds.
Gary Payton shared high scoring honors with O’Neal, as he also registered 21 points, and hit a clutch 3-point basket in the closing minutes to push the Laker lead to 90-83. “The Glove” has been struggling from beyond the arc so far this season, making only 4-of-18 prior to his 4th quarter basket.
Karl Malone, playing with a sore hamstring, scored 16 and grabbed nine rebounds, and Kobe Bryant, fresh off his return from a Colorado courtroom, chipped in with 16 points.
The Lakers defense held the Pistons to 43% shooting (37-of-87) from the field, and only 2-of-10 from beyond the arc, while shooting 47% themselves (36-of-76) from the floor.
Chauncey Billups had a strong night, scoring a game-high 29 points. He got little help from his teammates however, as Elden Campbell was the only other Piston in double-figures in scoring with 12.
The Lakers try to extend their home winning streak to 20 when they face the struggling Miami Heat on Sunday.
Link: LakerStats.com Box Score
Link: NBA.com Recap
Recent Chatter